Fading light of the Evenstar
by ringmarciel
Summary: Not all of the scum of darkness was destroyed when the War of the Ring was over, some still lived to destroy lives. Arwen was fated to be one of those lives, putting a country into despair and driving the king to the brink of madness. Short vingette.


Disclaimer: I do not own anything, of Lord of the Rings, I am not making any I repeat I am making NO money for writing this story, so don't sue me.  
  
A/N: Ok if you don't like angst, character death or people messing around with the story don't read this. Also this is a 'What if?' story/scenario so I stray pretty far from the book in the end. Also in this story Eldarion is around the age of 20-25.  
  
**Fading light of the Evenstar**  
  
The sun shone down upon the glorious White City, though the sun had yet to hit its zenith in the sky the day was already turning out to be a scorching day. The streets were not yet buzzing with farmers and traders, only one person, or elf, wandered the streets. She had decided to take a ride in the morning before it got too hot to do much. Quickly she passed through the mithril gates of the city, soon she had her horse galloping through the plains of Pelennor, where the battle for Minas Tirith had been in the not so distant past, but that was not what she was thinking about, she was just happy to be out of the White City. Though it was her home sometimes she felt stifled, cut off from nature in the stone city.  
  
She was so happy, she felt elated as though she were flying, the wind rushed past her face, blowing back her black hair. Her clear grey eyes looked like that of a child who had finally been allowed to sit with the grown-ups at meal time. Oh how she loved nature, it was such a nice change from Minas Tirith where everyone treated her as if she were made of glass. Even though she had left a note for her husband she felt bad leaving him behind, for he had been a ranger before he had started his new life in Gondor.  
  
It was around noon time when she stopped riding to eat a small meal she had packed, suddenly the sky clouded covering the sun, shadows appeared, and form the shadows came orcs. The elvish woman was all but defenseless all she had with her was a small belt knife, but still she fought as well as any man yet fate was against her, one orc caught her side with a poisoned knife. With that the orcs faded into the shadows. The elvish women held a hand to her side and carefully mounted her horse to get back to the White City. She never made it, the poison had killed her.  
  
King Elessar was heart broken his wife Arwen Undomiel, had died. She had followed down the path of her mother, but unlike her mother she had died. When the news had first come that a horse bearing what seemed to be an unconscious rider on her back, Aragorn had rushed to the gate to see who the rider was. He had hoped with all his heart that it was not Arwen, for Arwen had planned to go on a ride that day early in the morn. He reached the horse just as it entered the gates of the city; he was horrified to find that it was Arwen. A wave of worry washed over him, he ran over to grab the limp form of his wife as it fell from the horse. She was cold as ice, Aragorn laid her frigid body on the ground. He checked her pulse... there was none, Arwen had died. An agonized cry escaped Aragorn's lips, later said it sounded like a man whose beating heart had been ripped from his body.  
  
All of Gondor was now grieving for Arwen; everyone had loved the kind gentle queen, everyone had thought she would out live them all. Their king was hardest hit by this blow, he seemed to have lost all hope, he had barely slept and was slowly wasting away.  
  
Aragorn lay on his bed wide awake, but sleep would not come to him. His heart was crushed, when he had found Arwen dead on her horse a wave of pure agony washed over him, he did not now how to cope with it, everything seemed to crumble inward onto him. The hardest thing he had had to do was tell his son that his mother was dead.  
  
----Flashback----  
  
Aragorn walked into the library where Eldarion was reading a book.  
  
"Eldarion, my son, I have come to tell you, that, that" Aragorn's voice broke, "that your mother has been killed by orcs. I am sorry I could not save her she was already dead before she reached the city's walls."  
  
Eldarion walked over to his father, he knew, though his grief was great, his fathers would be ten times greater. He had heard of the great love between his mother and father before, he also knew his father would need comforting. "Its ok father I know we will get through this," he hugged his father, who had basically collapsed in his arms. It was odd, his father had always comforted him when he was little, but now he was comforting his father.  
  
"I-I'm sorry for breaking down like that Eldarion, I should be the one comforting you, not burdening you with my troubles," Aragorn was finally able to answer.  
  
"Its ok, its only payment for all those times you comforted me when I was a small boy and I awoke from nightmares shaking," Eldarion quietly answered his father, "besides I know we will get through this in time. I will take care of the city while you grieve father."  
  
------End Flashback----  
  
Aragorn felt bad about leaving the city on Eldarion's shoulders, but he also felt pride in his son, for he had know his father wouldn't be able to cope with ruling the city and the lose of his wife. Aragorn still did not know how he was alive yet his wife dead, it was just not supposed to be that way. He felt like his heart had been ripped out and stomped on, every time he thought of his beloved Arwen his heart qulench painfully. He had not slept for five days, for every time he closed his eyes Arwen's face appeared in his mind's eye, bringing a new wave of pain each time. Dark circles had appeared around his eyes now and he had lost much weight. Eldarion was worried about his father, though he had been able to cope with his grief his father seemed to be drowning in his. It had come to the point where he had asked the cooks of the palace to place sleeping herbs in what little his father ate and drank, to give him at least a little rest. Maybe his father would start to pull out of his grief soon, become like the man he used to know as father, not the grief stricken man that rarely left his room now.  
  
-----  
  
It had been three months now since the fair Queen's death and Aragorn was still deeply grieved, many people in the city kept thought that any day now their king would perish, but he did not, one day he was back to normal it seemed. Everyone rejoiced at the news except that it seemed odd that it happened so suddenly, but Aragorn's excuse was that Arwen had come to him in a dream telling him to let her go and move on with his life. But that was not the real reason.  
  
------  
  
Aragorn awoke one morning feeling very alone in the world, like he had every morning since Arwen's death, but he could just not bring himself to let go, he had loved Arwen more than the sun and the stars and he still did. After eating a little of his mean he lay down, and something just clicked, his pain seemed to be washed away in a wave of numbness, it seemed his mind had become tired of heart ache. Aragorn did not understand what had happened, but he was thankful enough for it, maybe it would help him function normally once again. Hopefully it would allow him time to heal his heart. Hopefully it would help him become his normal self. Hopefully.  
  
-----  
  
"Eldarion," he lightly tapped his son's shoulder, "I have come to relieve of your duties of the city."  
  
"Father have you finally came to terms with your grief, but I am sorry to say that I am glad that you have come to take responsibility of the city, for I must say it is far from easy taking care of the city let alone the whole country," Eldarion was overjoyed to see his father out of his room.  
  
Aragorn took a good look over his son, he looked tired but nothing a few days of rest couldn't handle. "I am very proud of you my son, it seems you did a very good job of watching over the city. Ah, but I have yet to over come my grief I know I shall live" ....If only I knew that were true... he added in his mind.  
  
With that Eldarion smiled slightly and walked to his room, Aragorn turned away from the door and sighed, he had given up the will to live the only thing keeping him tied to the world that seemed to be so against him was his son. Quietly he sat down to read the reports that had been left on his desk, he picked one up and started reading it. Maybe he would overcome this lose after all.  
  
-----  
  
One year had now passed since Arwen's death, and Aragorn was tired of numbness he felt, he yearned to feel something once again, even pain would be better than this numbness. The numbness had just not left him and it was slowy eating away at him. . He still smiled at the appropriate times, yet he never truly felt anything. Aragorn in his numbness had taught Eldarion everything he new about ruling a country, how to use a sword, how to defend himself, everything he would need to rule Gondor peacefully and sensibly. Gondor did not need a broken king, Gondor needed a king not swallowed in the lose of his wife. Aragorn would end his reign. He had it all planned out, Eldarion's coronation, but he would not be there too see it. Eldarion did not ask why. but he suspected what his father was going to do.  
  
Slowly he climbed the stairs of The Tower of Etchelion, recalling the most joyous times in his life, and the darkest ones when he thought he would die, but he had made it through both the good and the bad. Yet now all those were coming to an end, though he regretted leaving his son behind, he could no longer with the numbness that filled, and nothing in Eru could fill the hole in his soul left by Arwen's passing. Aragorn slowly stepped on to the platform at the top of the tower, slowly he walked over to the edge, leaning over the edge slightly, he looked over his beautiful city one last time. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes and propelled him self over the edge of the railing. There was no going back now.  
  
Aragorn smiled, he was happy for the first time in a year, his heart bursted with the joy of falling. Wind whistled past his face ruffling his hair, the numbness left him and he felt both the great joy of falling and the horror of the nearing ground both mixed together, in an odd feeling of contentment. It was like flying without wings. He closed his eyes one last time praying to Eru that he would meet Arwen once more. With that last thought he grinned and his body hit the ground with a bone crunching thud.  
  
-----  
  
At the eaves of a forest a lone man stood clothed in the attire of a ranger. He had been crowned new King of Gondor, but he needed to grieve. He had lost both parents in the span of a year, but he was not surprised, for he knew of the great love that his parents had for each other, he knew that if one of his parents died the other one would soon follow. Eldarion knew that his father was at peace now, with his mother. This forest had been a favorite place for his parents, maybe he could find some peace here. He sat down and leaned back against the tree trunk, and for a second it seemed his parents stood before him, his father looking like he had in his youth, they smiled at him then the wind swirled around them and they were gone. A light breeze whispered to him _We will always be in your heart_. Eldarion smiled to himself, maybe now he could start to heal.  
  
The end  
  
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